NIA raids 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka, arrests 15 suspected Islamic State operatives

Teams of the National Investigation Agency raided 44 locations in Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road, and Pune in Maharashtra and Bengaluru in Karnataka on Saturday morning, the counter-terrorism law enforcement agency said in a statement.

The 15 persons are accused of promoting terror and terror-related acts and activities of the proscribed organisation, the agency said.

The agency said it had recovered and seized cash, firearms, sharp-edged weapons, incriminating documents, smartphones and other digital devices during the raids.

“[The raids were] conducted as part of NIA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt and demolish the attempts of [the] Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to carry out violent acts of terror and take innocent lives,” the agency said.

The Islamic State and its units are banned in India under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

The National Investigation Agency said that its investigation had revealed that the accused, all members of the Islamic State’s Maharashtra module, were operating from Padgha-Borivali, “where they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and carry out acts of violence” across the country.

Saqib Nachan, the main accused and the alleged leader of the module, was administering the oath of allegiance to the Khalifa of the Islamic State to the persons joining the proscribed organisation, the agency alleged.